Denny Hamlin Questions NASCAR’s Prize Money Distribution Scheme: “The TV Money is Going Up, Where’s It Going?”

Following a controversial NASCAR All-Star race, Denny Hamlin went off on a massive rant about it. His main grouse was against the decision to let Ryan Blaney keep his win despite his window net being improperly secured. Later on, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver talked about the distribution of prize money after the All-Star race.

He said, “I can tell you this, in The Clash, both cars took home combined $90,000. We did $60,000 in damage. The drivers took most of the winnings, we were negative, like you wouldn’t believe. It was bad. The All-Star is not much different. The All-Star is less. Today, the purse is $2.7 million. It was $1 million when they started this. The TV money is going up, where’s it going? Someone’s got it.”

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What else did Denny Hamlin say?

Hamlin also noted that the All-Star race weekend often pays less than a regular race weekend. So, even though $1 million looks like a lot of money on paper, he worries about how much of that money Blaney actually takes home. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver can almost guarantee that it will be a lot less.

According to the #11 driver, there are a few solutions to the All-Star race problem. This was largely because of the late race caution, which triggered the Ryan Blaney situation. Hamlin believes that if the All-Star race was held at a short track, it would have been a lot better. Especially given the less number of cars vying for space on the track, potentially lowering the chances of wrecks.

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As per Hamlin’s comments, it is a lot worse if there is a wreck because half of the money is wasted on repairs. That money could have been better used in upgrades for the car to try and gain an advantage over their rivals. What makes things worse is that the teams earn less in the All-Star race compared to the Clash.